FMC Newsletter #96 | March 8, 2011

Looking forward to spring? We are too, and not just because of the cherry blossoms here in DC. FMC is gearing up for a busy season, with events and other goings-on that we’re excited to tell you all about. So let’s skip the long introduction and get right to it…

South by Southwest 2011 is just around the corner, and we’re psyched to once again descend on Austin and lively the place up (like it needs it). FMC staff, boards and pals will take the Austin Convention Center by storm in various panels and presentations, and our very own Jean Cook will be performing with bands throughout the festival. If you’re in town, be sure to track us down.

Once again, we’ve whipped up a page on our website with various SXSW happenings of note. Check it out here:

And here’s another cool thing we’re doing: on Wednesday, March 16 from 2 - 3 PM, FMC will host a peer review session about our Artist Revenue Streams research project, a multi-method research effort to assess how musicians’ revenue streams are changing in this new music landscape. Space is limited, so RSVPs are required. To learn more about the meeting, contact project co-director Kristin Thomson at kristin [at] futureofmusic [dot] org.

We’re still basking in the afterglow of the Local Community Radio Act’s passage, and we’re not shy about spreading the good vibes.

On Wednesday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m., FMC will co-host a modest get-together at the dreamy Gibson Guitar Showroom in Washington, DC to not-so-modestly celebrate the victory for Low Power FM radio. The decade-long fight to expand low power FM service came to a thrilling conclusion back in 2010, when the Local Community Radio Act passed in the House of Representatives and Senate and was signed in to law by the President. That’s a pretty good excuse for a party, and our co-hosts Prometheus Radio Project, Free Press, Media Access Project and the United Church of Christ think so, too.

To thank everyone for their hard work over the past decade (!!!), we’ll be kicking back with some beverages and a live performance from one of our favorite artists, Nicole Atkins. The room is already full, so if you’re not already on board, you’ll have to wait for the post-party pics. We can’t promise they’ll be SFW…

Check out this FutureBlog for more about the passage of this historic legislation.

We’ve been anticipating the release of Creative License — a book about sampling by Kembrew McLeod and Peter DiCola with contributions from FMC’s Kristin Thomson and former Executive Director Jenny Toomey — for a few years now. Well, the wait is over: Creative License comes out on March 31, and you can pre-order it today!

Creative License examines sampling’s complex and controversial history through interviews with more than 100 musicians, managers, lawyers, industry professionals, journalists and scholars on all sides of the issue. Based on those interviews, McLeod and DiCola place digital sampling into historical, cultural and legal context. The book describes hip-hop during its sample-heavy golden age in the 1980s and early 1990s, how the lawsuits shaped U.S. copyright law and the labyrinthine licensing process that musicians must now navigate.

The authors argue that the current system for licensing samples is inefficient and limits creativity. For instance, by estimating the present-day licensing fees for the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique (1989) and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet (1990), two albums from hip-hop’s golden age, the authors show that neither album could be released commercially today. Observing that the same dynamics that create problems for remixers now reverberate throughout all culture industries, McLeod and DiCola conclude by examining ideas for reform.

To support the release, Peter DiCola is scheduling a batch of appearances this spring. We’ll be sure to fill you in on dates as soon as they’re locked down.

FMC and our friends at Air Traffic Control had a blast at the Dear NOLA: A Concert for New Orleans concert on February 17. If you were with us in the Big Easy, you know why. Blowing the roof off of the Blue Nile along with backing band Bonerama were Cody ChesnuTT, DJ Spooky/That Subliminal Kid, Grammy-nominated Helen Bruner + Terry Jones, Jenny Toomey & Kristin Thomson of Tsunami, M1 of Dead Prez, Mirah, Sage Francis, Shawn King of DeVotchKa, Ira Tuton of Yeasayer, Vernon Reid, Sunpie Barnes and Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave.

As Bonarama wrote on their site, “It’s truly amazing and the people who have seen and heard [the artists] have seen a once in a life time show. Never to be replicated again. We had a blast with all of them.”

Dear NOLA was the culmination of our seventh Artist Activism Retreat, co-hosted by FMC and ATC. The show benefitted two incredible organizations, Sweet Home New Orleans and the Gulf Restoration Network, both of which are doing amazing work to restore and preserve New Orleans culture for future generations.

For musicians and local creative communities, non-commercial radio is an incredibly valuable resource. These stations also play a major role in how fans discover new music, in stark contrast to the play-it-safe programming so common to commercial broadcasting.

From National Public Radio to community and college broadcasters to low power FM stations, non-commercial radio is a crucial component of today’s music ecosystem. The internet is obviously huge, too, which is why we have consistently gone to bat to keep it open and accessible to musicians and music entrepreneurs. But it’s clear that artists of all genres and backgrounds depend on non-commercial radio to advance and sustain their careers.

That’s why we find it so troubling that Congress is considering defunding the public broadcasting sector. If that happens, the entire music industry — from the recorded business to live venues — could be affected. We think this is something to consider in terms of America’s economic recovery.

It’s not just FMC that’s concerned about recent developments. A broad array of arts organizations recently sent a letter to Congress telling them that cutting funding for non-commercial radio is incredibly counterproductive. Signers include Alternate Roots, the American Federation of Musicians, Americans for the Arts, American Music Center, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Chorus America, Dance/USA, Fractured Atlas, FMC, the League of American Orchestras, the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, the National Alliance for Musical Theater, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, the National Performance Network, Opera America, Performing Arts Alliance and Theater Communications Group. You can read the letter here:

FMC is working on ways for you to plug in on this important issue. Stay tuned.

Internet Policy Update

Back in December 2010, the FCC voted to adopt its Open Internet Order, which takes important steps towards keeping the internet accessible to everyone, including musicians. The Order set forth basic rules to prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from picking winners and losers online and interfering with access to legal content, sites and services.

FMC and our artist friends have long supported clear, enforceable rules of the road for the internet, because we want to make sure that musicians continue to have direct access to their fans and can benefit from the incredible array of tools and services that the web has to offer. Without these rules, creators and entrepreneurs may no longer be able to compete in an increasingly crucial marketplace.

You may have heard that Congress is getting ready to decide if rules to preserve the open internet will stand. Currently, there’s a fast-track bill that will not only repeal the FCC’s recent Order, but also prevent the FCC from making any rules in the future. No matter how you feel about the extent and scope of these rules, it seems pretty obvious that we need to have something in place to safeguard consumers and allow for continued innovation online.

Our musician friends think so, too, which is why they sent a letter to Congress urging them not to take the radical step of eliminating the FCC’s ability to let artists and fans use the web in the very ways we described above. Check out the letter from R.E.M., Rebecca Gates, Kronos Quartet, Jill Sobule, Erin McKeown, Thao Nguyen, Alex Shapiro and Charles Bissell right here.

We mentioned FMC at SXSW 2011; here’s a few more happenings we’ll be at.

FMC @ CMW

FMC’s Casey Rae-Hunter will be jetting off to Canadian Music Week in Toronto from March 9-13, where he’ll moderate a conversation with producer/manager, FMC advisory board member and McGill University Professor Sandy Pearlman called “The Future of Music - Is There One?” and lead a panel discussion about Canada’s Copyright Reform Act, C-32.

After SXSW, FMC will head to Boston for the National Conference for Media Reform (April 8-10). Jean Cook and Casey-Rae Hunter will represent FMC on two separate panels — Casey will discuss local music scenes and sustainability, while Jean will talk about cultural policy and what a 21st-century arts infrastructure might look like.

FMC co-founding Board member Brian Zisk will host the eighth San Francisco-based SF MusicTech Summit on May 9, 2011. Brian’s events are always jam-packed with a who’s-who of the music and innovation communities, so reserve your spot now!